Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Kubla Khan

Probably composed during the second half of 1797, Coleridge’s
famous poem “Kubla Khan” was not published until 1816, when it
appeared in a slim volume entitled Christabel; Kubla Khan, a
Vision; The Pains of Sleep. Although Coleridge describes
“Kubla Khan” in his apologetic preface of 1816 as a mere
“psychological curiosity”, the poem is widely celebrated as a
poetic tour de force and a complex investigation of the
psychology of creativity and inspiration. But obviously Coleridge
was uncomfortable with publishing the poem and withheld it from the
public for almost 20 years, sharing it with only a select few
fellow writers and then most often in recitation. Coleridge enjoyed
…

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23056Kubla Khan3Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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